Cavite Smart Guys: Attempting to build a family, not just a clan

When Cavite Smart Guys was formed in 2006, it was but an attempt to somewhat formalize a group of textmates. As the membership grew, though, more than friendship, “we never thought that we’d find a ‘family’,” says Marcuz Villanueva Zaragosa, who co-founded the group and now heads it.

Cavite Smart Guys was formed on July 22, 2006, when 13 “textmates” (that is, friends whose initial and main connection started with the use of SMS) met at SM Dasmarinas in Cavite after being friends for some time, and then deciding to somewhat formalize their group. By formalizing their organization, Cavite Smart Guys thereby became the first MSM (men who have sex with men) clan established in Cavite.

The initial intention, said Marcuz Villanueva Zaragosa, who co-founded the group and now heads it, was just to “meet new friends.” But more than friendship, “we never thought that we’d find a ‘family’,” he said.

This is also why “we avoid calling our group the typical clan,” Zaragosa said. “Instead, we are a family because we promote brotherhood (among the members), thereby build strong family ties within the group.”

Like most clans, Cavite Smart Guys holds various activities for its members, including GEBs (grand eye balls – or the meeting of members), lectures on safer sex, et cetera; though it also holds various activities involving its members for them to reach out to the community, including outreach activities for the less fortunate members of society.

A feather in the clan’s cap is the recognition it received from other clans as the “No. 1 Provincial Clan”.

Zaragosa admitted that there remain challenges – e.g. growing the membership, and dealing with the needs of members such as providing psychosocial support for members. But “we remain optimistic,” he said, particularly since “we’ve been here nine years now.”

In fact, Cavite Smart Guys is planning big – i.e. to venture into microfinancing to help its members become self-sufficient.

All in due time, though, since – for now – Cavite Smart Guys is simply enjoying the concept of family it gives its members.

For more information, or to join Cavite Smart Guys, those interested may visit the clan’s Facebook page.

"If someone asked you about me, about what I do for a living, it's to 'weave words'," says Kiki Tan, who has been a writer "for as long as I care to remember." With this, this one writes about... anything and everything.

Diwata ng Muntinlupa: Celebrating LGBTQIA Pride in the Emerald City of the Philippines

Introducing one of the oldest LGBTQIA organizations in the Philippines, Diwata ng Muntinlupa, which was established in 1977 to advocate for LGBTQIA human rights while offering the members companionship and peer support.

In 1998, a member of the LGBTQIA community in Muntinlupa City was murdered inside his salon two days before a show he was part of was to take place. The murder made the news (particularly locally), but what may not have been widely circulated was that the murdered person was (then) the sitting president of Diwata ng Muntinlupa, one of the oldest LGBTQIA organizations in the Philippines, having been established in 1977.

“It was rough for us,” recalled Glenn Ricaroz, the current president of Diwata ng Muntinlupa. And yet, the organization’s members went on with holding the already-scheduled show “and brought happiness to the people even when happiness was nowhere near our hearts because of what happened.”

That macabre occurrence highlighted for the members of Diwata
ng Muntinlupa why the organization exists in the first place – i.e. advocating
for LGBTQIA human rights so that nothing like that could ever happen to LGBTQIA
people ever again, but (while doing the advocating) also offering each other companionship
and peer support.

As the first LGBTQIA organization in Muntinlupa City, Diwata
ng Muntinlupa’s formation was backed by former city mayor Atty. Maximino A.
Argana. And in 42 years, it has been “steadfast in its intention to connect,
support and represent (the LGBTQIA people) in the eight barangays (villages) in Muntinlupa City.”

Annually, the members support each other in highlighting
their “connection” through an already regularized performance for the feast of
the Sto. Niño (Child Jesus); a way of showcasing LGBTQIA representation through
a religious event. During this event, Diwata ng Muntinlupa becomes “a showcase
of talents,” said Ricaroz.

Muntinlupa City (or at least as reported to the leadership
of Diwata ng Muntinlupa) is “largely LGBTQIA-friendly,” Ricaroz said. But this
does not weaken “our support for the passage of an anti-discrimination law.”

Obviously, as in any law, the implementation could become an
issue, but Ricaroz said that the very act of having an anti-discrimination law that
will protect the human rights of LGBTQIA people will validate their very being.

For example, “sa pulis
(in the police station), when you report (there), ang treatment naman sa iyo
is not bading or tomboy (you are not recognized as gay or lesbian/based on your
SOGIE). You are just considered as man or a woman. So what will appear in the
records/blotter is ‘pinatay ng lalaki
yung kapwa niya lalaki (a man killed another man),” Ricaroz said. This erases
not just the identity of LGBTQIA people, but could also inadvertently affect
reporting on crimes committed against people because of their SOGIE.

After 42 years, the longevity of the group may be attributed
to its ‘survivalist’ attitude. “Kahit
sino naupo, nandyan kami (It doesn’t matter who is in power in the local
government, we’re still here),” Ricaroz said. This is also a source of pride
considering how local organizations are almost always formed and then
dismantled only to serve the political dreams/intentions of politicians; they
are – therefore – often at the whim of these same politicians. But “(for us), no
matter who sits in the local government, Diwata is and will always be there.”

But – perhaps surprising considering the organization’s age;
though perhaps unsurprising due to its very nature as a community-based
organization – Diwata ng Muntinlupa also continues to face financial issues.

For instance, there are times, said Ricaroz, when “we struggle
to keep (the annual show for the Sto. Niño going).” But benefactors almost
always step up – e.g. founding member Mama Blanca, the local government, and
community members. And “we are always overwhelmed with the support we get. This
is why we still keep going.”

Diwata ng Muntinlupa continues to eye growth – e.g. the
founding members total less than 20, but regular members now number over 120
people, not including allied LGBTQIA organizations/groups in Muntinlupa City. Meanwhile,
there is broadening of efforts being made. After 42 years, it is finally
getting itself registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And
aside from the annual show for the Sto. Niño, it is looking into organizing
sports events for the LGBTQIA people in their communities, start HIV advocacy
efforts HIV; and develop a livelihood and entrepreneurial project for the LGBTQIA
community through educational scholarships and TESDA.

“We want to keep the legacy of Diwata ng Muntinlupa going,” Ricaroz said, hoping that – in the end – the organization becomes like the very people its members hold in esteem, inspiring others to be moved into action for LGBTQIA advocacy.

Courage Pilipinas: PLHIVs looking out after each other

The unanswered needs of those in the HIV community, and how social networking sites – in this case, Twitter in particular – can help deal with these needs that triggered the formation of Courage Pilipinas in June 2018.

In 2017, Rommel (not his real name; for privacy) created a Twitter account. As an HIV advocate, he noted that there are a lot of HIV-positive people there. “They ask: Ano ang gagawin namin (What do we do) after we test HIV-positive?” Rommel said. And so “I reached out to them.”

Initial “successes” included “getting some people tested for HIV, giving counseling to those who tested positive (but didn’t know who to turn to; specifically those with ‘alter’ accounts), and linking HIV-positive people to treatment, care and support.”

“Sadly,” Rommel said, “there were (also) a lot who were lost to follow up.”

It is this – the unanswered needs of those in the HIV community – and how social networking sites – in this case, Twitter in particular – can help deal with these needs that triggered Rommel to form Courage Pilipinas in June 2018.

Twitter, of course, is now also recognized as relevant in advocacy efforts, including in the promotion of HIV-related advocacy.Image used for illustration purpose only; photo by Kevin Bhagat from Unsplash.com

TAPPING TECH

For those not in the know, Twitter is a free service that allows users to post messages of 280 (or fewer) characters. These posts can contain text, photos and videos.

It is reported that one out of three adolescents aged 13-17 use Twitter, making it one of the most popular in the world; closely following the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Twitter is also used by professionals (including politicians like US Pres. Donald Trump, whose “official” positions are incoherently posted on the site).

Twitter, of course, is now also recognized as relevant in advocacy efforts, including in the promotion of HIV-related advocacy. Various studies have – in fact – been done about this.

In 2015, for instance, Tamara Taggart, Mary Elisabeth Grewe, Donaldson F. Conserve, PhD, Catherine Gliwa, and Malika Roman Isler, PhD conducted a comprehensive systematic review of the current published literature on the design, users, benefits, and limitations of using social media to communicate about HIV prevention and treatment.

The researchers used a systematic approach to survey all literature published before February 2014 using seven electronic databases and a manual search. The inclusion criteria were: (1) primary focus on communication/interaction about HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), (2) discusses the use of social media to facilitate communication, (3) communication on the social media platform is between individuals or a group of individuals rather than the use of preset, automated responses from a platform, (4) published before February 19, 2014, and (5) all study designs.

The search identified 35 original research studies. Thirty studies had low or unclear risk of at least one of the bias items in the methodological quality assessment. Among the eight social media platform types described, short message service text messaging was most commonly used. These platforms served multiple purposes, including disseminating health information, conducting health promotion, sharing experiences, providing social support, and promoting medication adherence.

Social media users were also diverse in geographic location and race/ethnicity, with the studies commonly reported users aged 18-40 years and users with lower income.

An interesting research finding: Although most studies did not specify whether use was anonymous, studies reported the importance of anonymity in social media use to communicate about HIV largely due to the stigma associated with HIV.”

According to Ron* (not his real name; for privacy), who is helping out in running Courage Pilipinas, and particularly basing on his personal experience, “a lot of HIV-positive Filipinos seem to be using Twitter,” he said. “This may be because “it’s easier to express yourself there without exposing yourself.”

Ron’s HIV-related advocacy also started in Twitter. After testing HIV-positive, his alter account became – largely – anti-government, particularly “after I saw the government’s failure to deal with PLHIV issues.” This led to him meeting other PLHIVs’ at first “just eight of us, which grew to 12, and then to 35. Eventually, (we became an informal group) of 150 members.”

In his observation, it is in Twitter where a lot of PLHIVs get courage to reach out to others; “they find a voice there somehow,” Ron said. “It has become some sort of safe space.”

According to the people behind Courage Pilipinas, “a lot of HIV-positive Filipinos seem to be using Twitter… This may be because it’s easier to express yourself there without exposing yourself.”Photo by Gilles Lambert from Unsplash.com

JUST A START

Both Rommel and Ron admit that tapping PLHIVs in Twitter (and other social networking sites) is just a start. “Napapanahon lang (It’s just timely, that’s all),” Ron said.

They recognize the numerous issues plaguing the HIV community in the Philippines – e.g. wrong priorities of the Department of Health (and the government, in general, when it comes to health); shortage of no supplies of antiretroviral medicines; profiteering of non-government organizations; et cetera.

“So we eventually want to (be relevant as a pro-active organization that’s not only available in the virtual world),” Rommel said.

All the same, particularly since PLHIV-led efforts particularly count in dealing with issues that PLHIVs themselves face, “every effort – no matter how small – counts,” Rommel said.

“More than just talk, we act,” Ron said. “And that’s always a good first step.”

Balangaw: Gathering the LGBTQI people of Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Like other LGBTQI organizations, Balangaw shares the same vision and mission to spread equality and be united. But, this time around, “we want for those in Palawan to do it for themselves,” said Evo Joel Contrivida.

In June 2018, local LGBTQI people from Puerto Princesa in Palawan saw the need to “formally organize to be able to speak with one voice on many issues affecting us, including discrimination that LGBTQI people experience locally,” said Evo Joel Contrivida.

And so – with the help of the city government of Puerto Princesa, Pilipinas Shell Foundation and NGO Project H4 – the Balangaw LGBTQ+ Association of Puerto Princesa was established.

Balangaw is a Cuyonon word for rainbow, the universal sign of the LGBTQI community in the world.

From the get-go, Contrivida said, they knew it was going to be challenging. Surprisingly, the initial challenge came from the LGBTQI community itself – i.e. “It was, at first, difficult getting the approval/support of the members of the LGBTQI community,” he said, adding that “particularly the local lesbians, which are not as open as their gay counterparts, had to be convinced to join the group, and be part of this history-making in Palawan.”

Contrivida is now a member of the Board Of Directors of the association, overseeing its corporate affairs.
Other officers include: Geofred Gabo (Nay Favz), president; Rodelo Coneles, VP for internal affairs; Rica Belleza, VP for external affairs; Roland Joseph Palanca, secretary; Marlon San Juan, treasurer; and Jester Roque, auditor.

As of the last general assembly, Balangaw has 207 registered members.

When he took the top post of the association, Gabo noted that there actually already exists an organization for senior LGBTQI people in Palawan, and that its members are known for being united. It is this that he wants for Balangaw to replicate; even while building on this by providing more opportunities to the LGBTQI people of the city.

Contrivida said that, like other LGBTQI organizations, “we share the same vision and mission to spread equality and be united.” But, he stressed, this time around, “we want for those in Palawan to do it for themselves.”

And this, in the end, is what Contrivida wants LGBTQI people in Palawan to recognize: That there’s a group composed of and for them to help them dictate their community’s future.

For those interested to know more about Balangaw, contact Evo Joel Contrivida at +63 917 554 6533 or evojoel46@gmail.com.

Revisiting the ‘alternative family with a cause’, Cavite Smart Guys Global

When Cavite Smart Guys Global was established as a “clan” in 2006, it only had 13 members. But even then, said Jhasper Pattinson Zaragosa, it always had lofty dreams to do “charitable efforts to promote goodwill.”

Growing strong.

When Cavite Smart Guys was established as a clan (an informal organization for men who have sex with men, whose members mainly communicated with the use of tech, from mobile phones to the Internet) in 2006, it only had 13 members. But even then, said Jhasper Pattinson Zaragosa, CSG head of marketing, ads and multimedia arts, it had lofty dreams. Specifically, it eyed to do “charitable efforts to promote goodwill.”

“In (CSG), we keep on giving emphasis to the core value of sharing through charity works and other socio-activities,” added one of the clan’s heads, Micollo Zaragosa. So that “every events, we would always (give a) portion to a certain charity.”

CSG later evolved into a “global community” – that is, the membership expanded to include those not just from Cavite. The name changed, though it still gave tribute to its origin: Cavite Smart Guys Global (CSGG).

A “trademark”, if you will, is the consistent use of the surname “Zaragosa” by its members, mainly because CSGG was – to start – founded by Marcus Zaragosa with his friends. In a way, this is akin to LGBTQIA “families” involved in the “ball culture” in the US. There, competitors compete – e.g. voguing – while carrying the banner of “houses”. In the case of clans, no competition per se happens; but the same concept of belonging is applied by carrying a common house/family name.

With the help of the likes of Facebook, CSGG was able to grow its (online) membership to over 37,000, easily making it Cavite’s largest MSM group.

And among clans, it has been recognized as – among others – the #1 provincial clan; one of the top five ‘bi’ groups in the Philippines; and more recently, as a “Bi-Rainbow Community Diamond Awardee (Mega Manila)”.

But according to Micollo Zaragosa, even with their successes, there remain challenges for the clan. For instance, “a challenge we are facing right now is how (to) retain our members, and for them to be engaged in (online and actual) activities.” This challenge, however, helped “make us to become innovative,” he added, so that “we keep on providing new and innovative activities and events that most members haven’t heard/seen before. We want to keep them curious and hyped about the events and activities we are offering, so that they always join.”

Looking forward, Jhasper Pattinson Zaragosa said that the group has numerous plans – e.g. be SEC registered, start including lesbians into the clan, and further strengthen the clan’s presence (on- and offline). But in the end, the intention is always to “be relevant to its members, even as we eye to be relevant to the community.”

In the third quarter of 2017, two trans men from Iloilo – Lee Co and PJ – saw the need to “encourage the trans man community to come together within Panay, especially in Iloilo.” Because even then, “(our) trans and non-binary brothers (did not have means to) exchange their experiences as well offer support to others,” recalled Lee Co.

And so on September 17, 2017, they established Transman United Iloilo (TUI) to be – exactly – this channel to allow trans and non-binary brothers in that area to be able to offer support to each other.

Lee Co said that nowadays, particularly for those in non-metropolitan areas, major challenges continue to abound for trans and non-binary people.

In TUI’s experience, in particular, “we still have issues with getting adequate medical care despite multiple health issues, from depression to high rates of suicidal as well as searching for trans-friendly doctors.”

Currently, TUI is connected with one doctor “who agreed to help fellow trans brothers and non-binary people when it comes to hormone replacement therapy (HRT),” Lee Co said. This “helps us out (a lot).”

The group is still very new, but it aims to be the best in what it does – i.e. “To assist our fellow trans and non-binary brothers within Panay island and guide them properly.”

And here, Lee Co said, “everyone is welcome… if they want to learn what being trans and/or non-binary is.”

San Julian PRIDE: Aiming for equality in rural areas

In 2017, a group of LGBTQI community members noted that the one existing LGBTQI organization in San Julian in Eastern Samar was – to be blunt – “dead” because of its inactivity. And so San Julian PRIDE was established to give the LGBTQI community here a presence that can actually be seen and felt.

On December 23, 2017, a group of LGBTQI community members noted that the one existing LGBTQI organization in San Julian in Eastern Samar was – to be blunt – “dead” because of its inactivity. And so – because “the prolonged inactivity meant that the community was unserved” – Roel Andag founded San Julian PRIDE.

“We are still without legal protection,” Roel said to Outrage Magazine, so that “not surprisingly, LGBTQI people remain marginalized and prone to discrimination, which adversely impact (our) health, career, livelihood, education and life as a whole. It is also sad to note that Pride-related developments remain Metro Manila-centric, and this is even if rural LGBTQI people face more acute economic and sociocultural vulnerabilities.”

San Julian is a rural, fifth class (i.e. very poor) agriculture-based municipality with 16 barangays (villages) located in one of the chronically poorest provinces of the Philippines. Poverty incidence here – already at 64.7% in 2009 – deteriorated further when Typhoon Haiyan hit the area in 2013.

San Julian PRIDE, in its own way, eyes to remedy this situation by giving the LGBTQI community from here a presence that can actually be seen and felt.

An interesting tidbit of info: San Julian actually has an anti-discrimination ordinance (ADO), which was passed in 2015, making it the first municipality in the Philippines to pass such legislation.

But this does not mean that the local LGBTQI community’s issues are already dealt with.

“Our tagline, ‘Rural and Equal’, captures our unique essence. The multiplicity of our challenges (rural poverty, geographical predisposition to frequent natural disasters, our being a discriminated minority in a rural milieu, and low health-seeking behavior in the face of the HIV epidemic) define the intersectionality of the identity that makes us unique,” Roel said.

To date, San Julian PRIDE has 40 active members.

Considering that the organization is relatively very new, plans are lofty, including:

Lobbying for the formulation of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of San Julian’s ADO, and popularizing its salient points;

Building the capacity of LGBTQI people in universities and municipalities of Eastern Samar to organize themselves;

Partnering with the treatment hubs in the province to implement the Department of Health’s HIV program; and

Creating/supporting livelihood and skills enhancement opportunities for LGBTQI people in the province, and then involve the community in promoting LGBT rights and equality in our rural setting.

For Roel, “(let this serve as) our ad hoc platform for advocacy and serve as a safe space where members engage in discussions of topics of interest including human rights, HIV and SOGIE, among others.”